US begins troop drawdown in Iraq under deal with Baghdad
![]() 530 Wednesday, 01 October, 2025, 21:58 he U.S. military has started reducing its presence in Iraq as part of a deal reached with Baghdad last year, officials confirmed Wednesday. Washington and Baghdad agreed last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Daesh terrorist group by September 2025, with U.S. forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement Wednesday that the U.S. "will reduce its military mission in Iraq," reflecting "our combined success in fighting ISIS." The move "marks an effort to transition to a lasting U.S.-Iraq security partnership in accordance with U.S. national interests, the Iraqi Constitution, and the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement," he said. The statement added that Washington will maintain close coordination with Baghdad and coalition partners to ensure a "responsible transition." It did not give details on the number of troops that have withdrawn to date or when the drawdown would be completed. A senior Iraqi security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the U.S. withdrawal began weeks ago from Baghdad and from Ain al-Asad base in western Iraq. "Only a very small number of advisers remain within the Joint Operations Command," the official said. He added that some forces have redeployed to the city of Irbil in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)-ruled region in northern Iraq, while others have left the country entirely, and that there is no accurate count of those who have withdrawn yet. The official said the drawdown is proceeding according to agreed-upon schedules. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told The Associated Press in an interview in July that the U.S. and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to "arrange the bilateral security relationship" between the two countries. |
Heist of the century: The dramatic louvre jewellery robbery (video)
52920.10.2025, 15:05Shrapnel hits California patrol car escorting Vance at military event
43020.10.2025, 11:05This Tiny Picasso Painting Went Missing While Traveling to an Exhibition in Spain (photo)
59619.10.2025, 21:49Joe Biden seen publicly for first time since beginning radiation therapy for prostate cancer (photo)
47219.10.2025, 15:17Armenia: ICJ condemns detention of defence lawyer Alexander Kochubaev and calls for his immediate release
46319.10.2025, 00:27Japan ex-PM Murayama, famous for WW2 apology, dies aged 101
45817.10.2025, 12:12EU to be ‘ready’ for war with Russia by 2030
44117.10.2025, 00:46Chief of staff of Yemen Houthi rebel’s military dies from wounds suffered in Israeli airstrike
47716.10.2025, 19:48